when was autism recognized as a diagnosis

Autism was first described as a distinct condition by Leo Kanner in 1943. However, it was officially recognized as a separate diagnosis in 1980 with the publication of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition (DSM-III). Before this, autism was often misclassified as childhood schizophrenia. The DSM-III defined autism as a "pervasive developmental disorder" distinct from schizophrenia. Later, the DSM-IV in 1994 was the first to categorize autism as a spectrum, and in 2013, the DSM-5 unified previous autism-related diagnoses under the single category of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).